Area Drilling

Barbados

Waggoner (Barbados) Ltd. and Barbados National Oil Co. signed agreements to more fully explore and develop the Caribbean island's oil and gas reserves, starting in first quarter 1997.

Anticipated initial projects include 36 development wells, 60 advanced stimulation treatments, nine short radius lateral recompletions, and three horizontal wells at vertical depths of 2,200-6,000 ft. The Waggoner-BNOC joint venture will share in production enhancements above a normal decline.

Barbados produces 1,200 b/d of oil and 1.6 MMcfd of gas, mostly from BNOC's Woodbourne field, a 1966 discovery.

DLB Oil & Gas Inc., Oklahoma City, is a 26% equity owner in Waggoner (Barbados).

Colombia

Seven Seas Petroleum Inc., Houston, said its GHK Co. Colombia subsidiary tested three zones at the El Segundo 2 confirmation well in the Upper Magdalena basin 60 miles northwest of Bogota.

GHK plans to spud shortly the Tres Pasos 1 appraisal well 21/2 km northwest of the El Segundo 2.

Upper Cretaceous Cimarrona produced at El Segundo 2 from three intervals at rates limited by test equipment:

At 6,054-6,142 ft, 5,350 b/d of oil and 610 Mcfd of gas.

At 6,142-6,222 ft, 6,154 b/d and 620 Mcfd.

At 6,236-80 ft, 3,866 b/d and 493 Mcfd.

A combined test at 6,054-6,315 ft is planned.

Germany

Resources International Corp., Vancouver, B.C., reached agreement to acquire the 188,000 acre Bergland exploration permit in Rhineland-Phalz state.

The permit contains the Glantal and Bamberger coalbed methane prospects.

Glantal estimated potential pay averaging 24 m of coal with 120 possible locations on 160 acre spacing. Bamberger has estimated pay of 38 m of coal with 18 possible locations.

Gulf of Mexico

McMoRan Oil & Gas Co., New Orleans, added reserves at its Vermilion Block 160 field unit and planned development drilling.

The Vermilion Block 159 AJ-3 well in 90 ft of water logged eight gas sands totaling 215 ft of net pay at 13,500-15,500 ft. Seven of the sands are new pays. Casing was being set for drilling to 16,600 ft.

The well is being drilled from the V160 platform to a bottomhole location on V159 to the east and updip to the known reserves.

The V160 field unit comprises 5,625 acres on blocks 143, 144, 159, and 160. McMoRan and MCN Corp. and partners own interests in or exploration rights to a further 9,375 acres in the four block area.

V160 production started in April 1995. Output averages 15 MMcfd of gas and 800 b/d of condensate.

The partners have an extensive 3D seismic survey over V160 unit and adjoining blocks.

California

Shell's CalResources LLC unit leads a horizontal drilling boom in Kern County heavy and light oil fields.

Of 82 notices to drill horizontal wells filed with the state in 1996, CalResources filed 39-14 in Cymric field, 11 each in South Belridge and Midway-Sunset, and three in Kern River.

Others filing to drill horizontal wells are Mobil Oil Corp. 15 notices, Bechtel Petroleum Operations eight, Santa Fe Energy Resources (now Monterey Resources Inc.) seven, Texaco and Chevron three each, and Torch Energy Resources Inc., Bakersfield Energy Resources Inc., and Berry Petroleum Co. two each.

Little results have been made public. But Santa Fe said its first horizontal well, drilled in 1995 at Midway-Sunset, was producing 250 b/d of heavy oil one year after completion. And Bakersfield Energy said a horizontal well at Lost Hills averaged 280 b/d of 40° gravity oil and 827 Mcfd of gas in 5 days.

Louisiana

Goodrich Petroleum Corp., Houston, plans to start sales late this month from an exploratory well in Lake Raccourci field in Lafourche Parish.

The 1 State Lease 3258 flowed 5.3 MMcfd of gas and 687 b/d of oil on a 10/64 in. choke with 9,027 psi FCP from Miocene Bol 6 sand perforations at 15,509-520 ft.

Bol 6 is the deepest of six productive sands the well penetrated. Logs and tests indicated a combined 100 ft of net pay.

Two more wells are to be drilled in first half 1997 and one development well later in the year. The field is under a 50 sq mile 1995 3D seismic grid. Howell Petroleum Corp., Houston, has a 14.6% working interest.

New York

A western New York exploratory well is an indicated gas discovery in Cambrian Theresa.

Working interest owners in the Ardent Resources Inc., Buffalo, 1 Stahl, in Wyoming County, will consider whether to frac the well because permeability is less than hoped for, Ardent president David Copley said. Prior fracs of Cambro-Ordovician zones have not had good results.

The well was the subject of 3D seismic and Starmag aeromagnetic surveys and had state financial support (OGJ, Oct. 14, 1996, p. 88).

Leasing has picked up on recognition of the existence of a subcrop fairway for Theresa and Upper Cambrian Little Falls dolomite in western New York, Copley said.

North Dakota

Operators in the Ordovician Red River B horizontal oil play centered in southwestern North Dakota have suggested that ultimate recovery might be as much as 800,000 bbl per sq mile. Conservative estimates run 500,000 bbl.

Nearly 500 drilling locations have been permitted in the play from late 1994 through fall 1996, the North Dakota Industrial Commission reported. By last Sept. 30 some 92 Red River B horizontal wells were producing in Cedar Hills field (see map, OGJ, Jan. 20, 1997, p. 75).

The Williston basin play started in Bowman County, N.D., and now extends into Slope County. It also reaches into South Dakota and Montana. Three dry holes had been drilled in the North Dakota portion.

Cedar Hills field, a 1995 discovery, had cumulative production of 3.826 million bbl of oil and 1.4 million bbl of water through September 1996. Production that month was 470,000 bbl of oil.

Seven rigs were active in Cedar Hills field in November 1996, compared with as many as 13 in summer and fall 1996.

Amerada Hess Corp. plans to test Cambrian zones in Hawkeye oil and gas field of McKenzie County.

It will reenter the 22 Swenson well, in 20-152n-95w, 6 miles south of Charlson. A former Ordovician Red River C and D producing well drilled to 14,900 ft, the well topped Winnipeg at 14,668 ft and Deadwood at 14,710 ft, PI reported.

Oklahoma

DLB Oil & Gas Inc., Oklahoma City, plans to drill four exploratory wells in early 1997 on 500,000 acres in Osage County.

DLB's 16 sq mile 3D seismic survey in the area was about 50% complete as of yearend 1996. Its DLB 7-13 Bert well is a 3,200 ft discovery producing 450 Mcfd of gas from Cambro-Ordovician Arbuckle.